Balkans

SERBIA Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić says that Serbia could submit its EU membership application before the end of the year, during the Swedish EU presidency. Jeremić said that, for Serbia, submitting the application was “strategically important, vital and crucial, and that it would draw a line under the international debate …

KOSOVO EULEX wants to reach an agreement with the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) giving the mission access to all police information, writes Priština daily Koha Ditore. “EULEX wants to establish a permanent system that would allow it to make non-stop, ad hoc requests for access to the Kosovo police’s information,” …

Biljana Plavšić is well and is delighted with the Hague’s decision to release her on October 27, says Republic of Srpska PM Milorad Dodik after visiting her. Stating that they had discussed a number of issues, Dodik said yesterday that Plavšić needed rest and rehabilitation after all the years that …

SERBIA, ALBANIA The War Crimes Prosecution has lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court over the verdicts in the 1999 Suva Reka war crimes case. The Supreme Court has been called on to quash the War Crimes Chamber’s decision to acquit Radoslav Mitrović, Nenad Jovanović and Zoran Petković, and to …

ALBANIA Albanian parliament voted Wednesday to approve the Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s new government. Berisha’s chosen ministers were confirmed by parliament late Wednesday in a 74-1 vote. The deputies of the opposition Socialist Party boycotted the session, demanding a probe into the results of parliamentary elections, which they say were …

BULGARIA Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Miroslav Naydenov met Thursday with John Ordway, interim Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Sofia, ministry’s press office announced. In the frames of the meeting Minister Naydenov presented his plans to establish new type of dialog and cooperation with all partners …

A total of 76 “political subjects”, non-attached candidates, civil initiatives and coalitions have registered for the upcoming local elections in Kosovo, scheduled for November 15. Elections Commission chairperson Miradie Mavrici informed that the competition at the local elections will go among 37 Albanian, 21 Serbian, 7 Bosnian, 3 Turkish, 2 …

BiH Several hundred members of victims’ associations have protested in front of the Hague Tribunal and Prosecution building in Sarajevo, setting photos of judges, prosecutors and indictees on fire. The protest was organised by the Association of Detainees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Association of Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa …

MACEDONIA Macedonian Premier Nikola Gruevski hopes that Jose Manuel Barroso’s reelection on Wednesday as head of the European Commission, EC, will be positive for his country. On October 14, the EC will issue its annual report on Macedonia’s reform progress. In a congratulatory letter to Barroso, Gruevski said he hoped …

ALBANIA The EU has welcomed a monitoring group’s assessment that the June Albanian elections met most OSCE commitments, while noting the conduct of the polls fell short of optimum standards This, according to a written statement from the EU’s Swedish Presidency, confirming receipt of the OSCE/ODHIR Election Observation Mission’s report …